1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to communication systems and methods of operation. More particularly, the invention relates to communication systems including a client controlled gateway for concurrent voice/data messaging with a data server and a service representative.
2. Description of Prior Art
In present-day communication networks, users often access a database over a single duplex line to obtain a specific piece of information with the objective of ordering a product described in the database. An example of such a transaction would be a user accessing the Internet to connect to one or more pages of a content provider. The user would employ a data protocol such as Hypertext Transaction Protocol ("HTTP") to locate and display a page, examine its contents and perhaps place an order for the product if additional information was available by voice from the content provider. Presently, content providers do not support concurrent voice and data interaction between a user and a service representative of the provider. Some providers may support one or more of the currently available "IP-Phone" software products, but such products actually digitize a voice and use the IP Data Network to deliver the "voice" call. Current restrictions on the quality of the voice, the delay characteristics of the Internet, etc., make such interaction unacceptable. Typically, the end user has only a single duplex line to the Internet which can not support concurrent voice/data transmissions. Usually, the end user copies down a phone number and places a separate call to the listed telephone number of the content provider.
To overcome limitations of the prior art, there is need to provide a messaging system which combines the usage of a data network and a voice network into a seamless "pairing" for the purpose of making calls and transactions as described above.
Prior art related to such messaging systems, is as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,798 issued Jun. 6, 1989 discloses a unified messaging system that provides for a single electronic mailbox for different types of messages. The mailbox can be on a user's host computer, PBX, PC, etc., and the user has consistent facilities available to originate, receive and manipulate messages. Messages can be translated from one media to another for reception, and a single message may be composed of parts that use different native media. The message recipient has a single controllable point of contact where all messages can be scanned and/or viewed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,926 issued Apr. 16, 1991 discloses a message management system comprising apparatus for producing a multi-media message including a visually sensible portion and an aurally sensible portion, control apparatus for transmitting the multi-media message to a selected subscriber and an apparatus for providing notification to the selected subscriber of the arrival of a multi-media message.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,411 discloses a multi-media integrated message arrangement in which voice, facsimile and electronic mail messages are integrated into a system that converts e-mail messages into voice-and-fax messages. An e-mail message is parsed into voiceable and non-voiceable segments, non-prose segments. Prose segments are converted into voice messaging segments by text-to-speech facilities. Each non-prose segment is converted into a fax segment. Voice point us to fax segments are inserted into the voice message, and places corresponding to the non-prose segments in the e-mail message. The voice file and fax file are then stored for subsequent delivery of the message as an integrated voice-and-fax message. Conversion of integrated voice-and-fax messages into e-mail messages is likewise disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,786 discloses a unified messaging system in message which combines or makes use of existing communication channels on network. Part of the system and method relies on a data communication network forming an intermediate light of the distribution network. Telephone communication is typically used for initial or final legs. Voice mail, e-mail, facsimiles and other message types can be received by the system for retrieval by the subscriber. Communications may be centralized and retrieval in messages can be accomplished using one of a number of separate and distinct approaches. Accordingly, data communication networks such as the Internet can become global voice mail and facsimile mail systems.
None of the prior art shows or suggests a communications system including a client controlled gateway for concurrent voice and data transmissions using "paired lines" between a client and a service provider in both inbound/outbound directions.